Jinnosuke Suzuki enrolls at USCG prep school

Jinnosuke Suzuki poses with Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan coach Hiroyuki Kimura as he’s about to board a flight out of the Francisco M. Palacios-Saipan International Airport earlier last week.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Jinnosuke Suzuki is hanging up his swimming goggles and cap and bidding Saipan sayonara after enrolling in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Scholars Program.

The former captain of Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center leaves a swimming career that saw him establish eight age records in the 11-12 age group—100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1,200m freestyle, 50m butterfly, and 200m and 400m individual medley. 

“I decided to apply for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy because my friend told me about it and it seemed like a good choice. I chose not to continue swimming in college because I have been swimming competitively for most of my life and wanted to try something different,” he told Saipan Tribune.

The 17-year-old Marianas High School alumnus said while he didn’t exactly get a direct appointment to the U.S. Coast Guard, his acceptance in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Scholars Program will allow him to enroll in the prep school for a year and once he completes it, he can get an appointment to the academy.

As for what he’ll miss most about his home islands, Suzuki said it will definitely be his lifelong friends. Also forever seared in his memory are the countless training sessions at this old swim club.

“Something I’ll never forget about swimming for Tsunami Saipan are the hard practices that we had to go through everyday.”

Tsunami Saipan coach Hiroyuki Kimura said Suzuki leaves the club as one of its better swimmers, adding he would’ve set many more records if the island still had the mothballed Kan Pacific Swimming Pool.

Jinnosuke Suzuki after swimming his event at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

“If we still have the Marpi pool or no COVID-19, Jinnosuke might add his name in the record list a lot. Though the situation was the same with Juhn Tenorio and Isaiah Aleksenko, I really feel so sorry for Jinnosuke, too. Jin had a strong possibility and big potential to reach Jonathan Sakovich’s records which are so long standing. I really wanted him to break Jon’s record. In a way, it was also my dream. But that dream is now over.”

Kimura also admitted that he tried to convince his former ward to continue swimming in college in Japan like what his teammate Tenorio  did a year ago.

“I really encouraged him to continue swimming at a university in Japan. Because there were many Japanese university swim teams that suited him, and I had received offers from several head coaches. However, his will was firm and he chose the path to the U.S. Coast Guard. Now, Juhn Tenorio is making tremendous progress on the Hosei University swimming team in Japan. I knew Jinnosuke would have done the same as Juhn in college swimming. So, as a swimming coach, I was so sad he stopped swimming, but I want to support his new dream.”

Kimura said just the same he wishes Suzuki the best of luck in his new journey of now being part of the U.S. armed forces. 

“Now, I am just grateful to Jinnosuke. It was really fun and I was happy to be his coach. I thank him and his family very much. I would like to continue to support his new journey as his former coach.”